Hawila, who’s already on the air, will also work some weekday shifts as a full-time weathercaster. He arrives from CBS affiliate KCTV-TV in Kansas City after first joining that station in March 2015 from Fort Wayne, Indiana’s WANE-TV (where he spent two years).

Hawila recently married KCTV-TV reporter Elizabeth Rentschler, who is making the move to Dallas with him. Incumbent TEGNA8 meteorologist Colleen Coyle first publicized Hawila’s hiring in a late October post on her Facebook page. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Robert Philpot also has posted the news.

All three shows won their time slots in both total D-FW viewers and advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds. The Voice ranked as the night’s overall top draw with 290,844 viewers while This Is Us was tops with 18-to-49-year-olds (125,077).

CBS’ annual presentation of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer had tough sledding in the 8 p.m. hour. The 7 to 7:30 p.m. portion ran third in total viewers (159,964) behind the first half of The Voice (283,573) and ABC’s The Middle (167,235). Rudolph’s closing half improved to second place behind The Voice.

Among 18-to-49-year-olds, Rudolph lagged in fourth place from 7 to 7:30 p.m., also trailing Fox’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The perky reindeer was a bit less red-faced from 7:30 to 8 p.m., when it trailed The Voice, tied ABC’s American Housewife and beat Fox’s New Girl, which looks to be near the end.

Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results.

NBC5 and TEGNA8 tied for the most total viewers at 10 p.m., but the Peacock won decisively with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming) while TEGNA8 slid to a distant third.

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and NBC5 had twin wins at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. golds went to TEGNA8 in total viewers and NBC5 in the 25-to-54 realm.

Local news note: ABC News has signed retiring Dallas Police Chief David Brown as a regular “contributor,” starting Jan. 1st. He became a national figure both during and after the July police shootings in Dallas.

“As our country begins a new presidential era, we’re very fortunate to have Chief Brown’s unique perspective to inform our reporting on many of the nation’s fault lines,” ABC said in a publicity release Wednesday. The network cited “economic equality, gun violence, race relations, policing and social justice” among the hot topics that Brown will address in the coming year.

By ED BARK@unclebarkycom on TwitterESPN’s Monday Night Football matchup between the victorious (and virtuous) Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles easily led all programming while the return of Supergirl gave The CW a nice boost.

Packers-Eagles averaged 392,639 D-FW viewers and 186,012 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old age range.

Airing in the 7 p.m. hour and marking the launch of CW’s four-night “Heroes Vs Villains Crossover Event,” Supergirl drew 130,880 viewers and 54,521 in the 18-to-49 realm. Those are rather heroic numbers for CW. And among 18-to-49-year-olds, Supergirl beat time slot competition from Fox’s Gotham and reruns of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory and Kevin Can Wait. She also tied the first hour of ABC’s CMA Country Christmas.

Here are Monday’s local news derby results, with competition beginning for keeps again after the Thanksgiving holiday period and the end of the November “sweeps” ratings period.

CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while NBC5 won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

By ED BARK@unclebarkycom on TwitterMeteorologist Remeisha Shade has been subtracted from NBC5’s six-member team after a six-year stay at the Fort Worth-based station.

“Remeisha Shade is no longer with NBC5,” a spokesperson confirmed late Tuesday afternoon. “And we do not comment further on personnel matters.”

Shade arrived in November 2010 from WAFF-TV in Huntsville, Alabama, which was a quantum jump in market-size from No. 81 to No. 5. She has been NBC5’s weekend P.M. news weathercaster while also filling in on weekdays.

The former Weather Channel meteorology intern, who was Miss Florida State University in 2003, got her start at KBMT-TV in Beaumont, TX before moving to the Huntsville station in 2006.

Shade so far has not returned a message asking for comment. At a “Weathering Heights” event earlier this year sponsored by the Press Club of Dallas, Shade said, “Some people get nervous when they’re on TV. For me, it gives me a rush. I get excited and I really enjoy it.”

By ED BARK@unclebarkycom on TwitterThe Dallas Cowboys’ 10th straight win, 31-26 over the visiting Washington Redskins, gave Fox4 a heaping plate of Thanksgiving Day ratings.

Stretching to precisely 6:45 p.m., the game averaged 1,941,384 D-FW viewers and 782,532 in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old age range. Both easily are season highs for the 10-1 Cowboys, who are confounding any and all expectations.

CBS’ earlier Detroit Lions-Minnesota Vikings game came in second in the NFL’s triple-header, drawing 727,110 total viewers and 352,781 in the 18-to-49 demographic. NBC’s prime-time Pittsburgh Steelers-Indianapolis Colts game mopped up with 538,061 total viewers and 246,977 in the 18-to-49 sweet spot.

Although it’s become in large part an infomercial for upcoming NBC programming, the Peacock’s alleged coverage of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade also scored big with 698,026 total viewers and 282,225 in the 18-to-49 demographic. That slaughtered CBS’ competing parade festivities, which had respective totals of 123,609 and 41,692 viewers.

Saturday’s college football fest was led by ABC’s Ohio State-Michigan thriller, which averaged 341,742 total viewers.

It’s NBC5. The Peacock won six of the eight major four-way races after barely winning just one in November 2015. All of the P.M. newscast firsts went to NBC5 in the total viewers and 25-to-54-year-old measurements (main advertiser target audience for news programming). NBC5 also ran a solid second at 6 a.m. behind Fox4.

In contrast, TEGNA8 fell firmly into the have-nots category by going winless for the first time in recent memory. As anticipated, CBS11 likewise was shut out. TEGNA8 had a solid win in total viewers at 10 p.m. last November while CBS11 was tops at 6 p.m. in that measurement. Fox4, which a year ago swept the 25-to-54-year-old races at 6 a.m. and 5, 6 and 10 p.m., could not get past NBC5 this time out in the early evening and late night contests.

This year’s 20-weekday sweeps ran from Oct. 27th to the day before Thanksgiving. Here are the results in the four main battlegrounds, with year-to-year plusses or minuses in parentheses.

Comments: TEGNA8 suffered the largest audience losses in both ratings barometers, but also got little help from the ABC network in terms of 9:45 to 10 p.m. lead-in audiences. NBC5 overall benefited from the best network lead-ins and for the most part held on to those audiences. All four stations lost viewers in the key 25-to-54-year-old measurement, with the Peacock’s drop-off insignificant compared to its competitors. The respective leaders last November were TEGNA8 in total viewers and Fox4 with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Comments NBC5 significantly closed the gap among 25-to-54-year-olds and also got closer to Fox 4 in total viewers. Although logging two last-place finishes, CBS11 made a small gain among 25-to-54-year-olds to pull close behind TEGNA8 in the battle for a distant third place. Fox4 was without regular co-anchor Lauren Przybyl, who’s on maternity leave.

Comments CBS11 went from first to worst in total viewers, dropping more of them year-to-year than its three rivals combined. Fox4 wasn’t much better among 25-to-54-year-olds, falling from first to third and also losing more viewers than its three rivals combined. Despite dropping in both measurements from November 2015, TEGNA8 went from last to second in total viewers and also moved up a notch with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Comments: Fox4 took the biggest year-to-year nose dives in both measurements, particularly with 25-to-54-year-olds. But the picture isn’t overly pretty for anyone, with NBC5 the only station to show any gains. TEGNA8 and CBS11 both logged the same dismal finishes they did last year. And CBS11 is getting dangerously close to having no measurable audience in the key 25-to-54 demographic.

In other ratings results . . .

*** Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast wasn’t quite as potent this time out, beating only ABC network programming in that hour among total viewers. But it trailed only NBC from 9 to 10 p.m. among 25-to-54-year-olds and 18-to-49-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for entertainment programming).

*** Fox4’s 7 to 9 a.m. portion of Good Day ran first in total viewers against the three competing network morning shows and tied NBC’s Today for the top spot in the 25-to-54 and 18-to-49 audience measurements.

*** TEGNA8’s long-running, homegrown Good Morning Texas, which airs at 9 a.m. weekdays, ran fourth in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds behind competing syndicated and network programming on Fox4, NBC5 and CBS11. It tied CBS’ double dose of Let’s Make A Deal for third with 18-to-49-year-olds. But GMT’s mini pay-for-play infomercials continue to pay the freight and make a profit.

***The TEGNA corporation’s first syndicated programming effort, T.D. Jakes, was no touchdown at 3 p.m. It ran a distant fourth in all ratings measurements while also deflating the ratings for TEGNA8’s 4 p.m. local news, which drew less than half the audience of NBC5’s dominant competing newscast but tied CBS11’s local edition in total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds.

***CBS11’s syndicated Wheel of Fortune keeps chugging along at 6:30 p.m., easily winning its time period in total viewers and running second to NBC5’s syndicated Extra with 25-to-54-year-olds and 18-to-49-year-olds.

By ED BARK@unclebarkycom on TwitterTed Madden, who distinguished himself at TEGNA8 as a first-rate sports feature reporter, is leaving the Dallas-based station after a 14-year career there.

“It will sound like a sports cliche that I’m going to spend more time with my family,“ Madden told unclebarky.com after surviving a longtime regimen of working weekends and covering high school football on Friday nights. “I wanted a regular life. Weekends off.”

Madden said he’ll be working as a video producer for the Mesquite ISD, “doing stories on people in that community.”

“Twenty-year-old Ted would punch 40-year-old Ted in the face for saying this,” he added. “But I get no excitement out of covering the Cowboys, Mavs and Rangers. It’s honestly the least favorite part of my job. I love doing the high school stories and I so appreciate the relationships I’ve developed with countless high school coaches. If I could be a high school beat reporter and work Monday through Friday, I probably would have stayed.”

No one supported Madden or appreciated his work more at TEGNA8 than sports anchor Dale Hansen, whose “Here’s Ted Madden” table-setters invariably guaranteed a topflight “people story” about the less heralded kids and coaches playing for their high schools.

“Ted had a remarkable gift as a story teller, and I loved the stories he told,” Hansen said in an email response. “I’ve always thought TV is a matter of ‘moments’ -- those moments that make you think and touch your heart. Ted did that better than anyone I know. And I will miss those moments more than he will ever know.”

Madden joins a passing parade of seasoned newscast anchors and reporters who have left TEGNA8 of late. They include Shelly Slater, Jim Douglas, Mike Castellucci, George Riba, Janet St. James and Byron Harris.

Here’s a recent “The Story of You” feature by Madden on Parish Episcopal running back Dominic Williams. It’s a long one -- 11 minutes, 24 seconds. But if you go the distance, you’ll be glad you did.

By ED BARK@unclebarkycom on TwitterDisney kept it in the family Monday night, with two of its properties making prime-time’s biggest splashes.

ABC’s 7 to 9 p.m. edition of Dancing with the Stars had the most D-FW viewers with 327,200. And ESPN’s Monday Night Football matchup in Mexico City between the Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans was the top draw among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds with an average of 150,734.

That’s pretty much all she wrote, save for the local news derby results for the 18th weekday of the November “sweeps,” which end on Wednesday.

TEGNA8 both got a welcome boost and a letdown. The station uncommonly won at both 6 and 10 p.m. in total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions, with TEGNA8 falling to fifth place among 25-to-54-year-olds behind Fox4, NBC5, CBS11 and (urp) CW33’s Eye Opener. The CW33 show also beat TEGNA8 and CBS11 in this key demographic during the 5 to 6 a.m. hour, with TEGNA8 again fifth. That’s rather cataclysmic.

At 5 p.m., the firsts were split between Fox4 in total viewers and NBC5 with 25-to-54-year-olds.

By ED BARK@unclebarkycom on TwitterAs you can see from the above picture, NBC5 entertainment reporter Bobbie Wygant is having a birthday today.

And it’s not just any old birthday. She’s turning 90 on the otherwise somber occasion of the 53rd anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas.

Your friendly content provider has been writing about Wygant since 1981. She literally was there at the creation of NBC5 (then WBAP-TV) in 1948. And she’s still in there pumping questions, as you can see in this recent interview with Warren Beatty in connection with his new movie Rules Don’t Apply.

Unfortunately, NBC5 has closed its in-house celebration to “the press and outsiders,” says a station spokesman. That seems ill-considered, but happy birthday from afar, Bobbie Wygant. And in further commemoration, here’s a link to a “Back Channels” post that shows how far she’s come and how long she’s endured.

Fort Worth-based NBC5, flush with ratings momentum as the November “sweeps” ratings period winds down, has never messed around on this front. Pure and simple, it wants to “own” the weather franchise in this market. So behold the new “Big S” radar system, latest armament in an “already powerful weather arsenal” that also includes the now grizzled Texas Thunder Truck and a Texas StormRanger mobile Doppler weather radar truck added in August.

“Probably next to the Cowboys, it’s the one thing that truly unites the entire community,” NBC5 vice president of news Mark Ginther says of whatever Mother Nature visits upon us.

This is not hyperbole. When the weather outside is frightful, the local news ratings tend to spike sky high. As Ginther’s predecessor, Susan Tully, once said, “To me, the fun events are ice storms . . . I love ice storms. I hate them personally.”

Dean of meteorologists David Finfrock detailed the new S-Band system during last Wednesday’s 5 p.m. NBC5 newscast, touting it as a “game-changer” that allows the station to track serious storms with far more precision.

It gets complicated beyond that and will have to be put to the test to see if there’s really any discernible difference to viewers. But basically put, the S-band radar, which replaces a C-band in use since 2003, allows NBC5’s team of six meteorologists to more easily tell the difference between rain and hail while also spotting transitions from sleet to snow. S-Band also can see much better at night than the old system because it sends out both horizontal and vertical radar beams.

The new system was purchased from Enterprise Electronics Corporation in Alabama and now towers above a “strategic” location southeast of Dallas and Fort Worth. NBC5 and its sister NBC Universal-owned station, Telemundo39, currently are the only two Texas TV stations equipped with S-Band. Just one other NBC owned-and-operated combo, Chicago’s WMAQ and Telemundo WSNS, is equipped with S-Band, says Valari Staab, president of NBCUniversal-owned Television Stations.

“We are constantly improving our stations’ weather forecasting capabilities because we know how important weather is to our viewers,” Staab says via email.

Look, up in the sky. Behold the big ball of Big S radar power.

NBC5 has a long tradition of meteorologist prowess, dating to D-FW’s original pathfinder, the late Howard Taft, and continuing with Finfrock, a hand-picked successor who at this point still plans to retire in 2018. All six of the station’s weathercasters have full-fledged meteorology degrees.

“I think it really started with having a core group of meteorologists who can use this technology to help inform viewers,” says Ginther. “They know how the technology can help tell the weather story better. It’s not a gimmick.”

Nor is it cheap, although the price tags as usual are under wraps. But in times when rival stations, notably TEGNA-owned WFAA-TV, are squeezing nickels and downsizing their production teams, NBC5 remains buoyed by its parent company’s seeming willingness to spend rather than shrink. The station’s still comparatively new studios, unveiled three years ago, are also still a shot in the arm. Ginther, who formerly worked at WFAA-TV as assistant news director, says he joined NBC5 in August 2015 from Seattle’s KING-TV in part because he was wowed by the station’s new state-of-the-art operations center.

“I’m telling you, it’s a recruiting tool,” he says. “I think the company’s investment in this facility has also really given the people who have been here a long time some confidence in what we’re doing.”

S-Band radar is the latest estimable add-on. Time will tell whether it’s more show-and-tell than big breakthrough. But NBC5’s resolve to rain all over its competitors is both a long-term game plan and a potential ratings windfall for years to come. Weather can be a big troublemaker, but it’s also a ratings kingmaker. And for now, NBC5 is its castle.

By ED BARK@unclebarkycom on TwitterCBS11 gets to carry the Dallas Cowboys only twice each season. That’s a bigger deal when the team just keeps on winning and confounding all expectations.

The Cowboys’ ninth straight victory, 27-17 over the visiting Baltimore Ravens, had the disadvantage of a ratings-deflating noon start. But it still performed at a very high level, rocking the D-FW ratings charts with 1,352,425 viewers for a game that ran until 3:05 p.m. Among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, the now 9-1 Cowboys averaged 513,136 viewers.

Those are considerable improvements over the last early starter, the Cowboys’ Nov. 6th 35-10 rout of the lowly Cleveland Browns on Fox, their usual carrier. That one drew 1,163,376 total viewers and 452,201 in the 18-to-49 age range.

This season’s most-watched game is still the previous Sunday’s pulsating 35-30 road win at Pittsburgh, which had 1,592,371 total viewers on Fox. The kingpin among 18-to-49-year-olds is the Game 3 home win over the Chicago Bears, with 698,654 viewers. Both of those marks likely will be bested by the Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Washington Redskins, who also are on a hot streak and demolished the Green Bay Packers Sunday night. Fox gets that one.

On the down side, CBS11’s Friday 5 p.m. newscast stooped to what amounted to an embarrassing informercial for the Cowboys’ new Frisco training playground, the Star. The entire edition originated from the site, with cheerleading anchors Doug Dunbar and Kaley O’Kelley repeatedly rhapsodizing about the place while meteorologist Scott Padget sprinted the length of the field -- live.

There’s nothing wrong with a feature story or two to hype an uncommon Cowboys game on your station. But in the nation’s No. 5 TV market, it’s long past time to then put on the brakes rather than tarnish the rest of whatever credible news reputation you’re trying to establish. Instead, Friday’s 5 p.m. info-cast ended with Dunbar and O’Kelley munching from the tub of popcorn provided by the Cowboys after they marveled at a plate of loaded nachos also put in front of them. Not a good look.

OK, elsewhere Sunday, NBC’s prime-time demolishment of the injury-decimated Green Bay Packers by the resurgent Redskins also thrashed ABC’s competing American Music Awards. The game averaged 530,790 total viewers and 243,740 in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic. The AMAS skipped a few beats with just 189,049 total viewers and 83,385 in the 18-to-49 motherlode.

The NFL scored even bigger Sunday with CBS’ late afternoon/early evening attraction, the Seattle Seahawks’ domination of the visiting Philadelphia Eagles. It averaged 690,755 total viewers and 307,682 in the 18-to-49 age range.

On Saturday, ABC’s prime-time Oklahoma-West Virginia game, which the Sooners won big, led the college football parade with 181,778 total viewers. Earlier on ABC, Texas’ overtime loss to one-win Kansas averaged 152,693 viewers.

Let’s move to Friday night, when CBS’ 9 p.m. episode of Blue Bloods as usual led all TV attractions with 239,946 total viewers. ABC’s 8 p.m. hour of Shark Tank and NBC’s two-hour edition of Dateline were tops with 18-to-49-year-olds (54,521 viewers each).

On Thursday, CBS’ The Big Bang Theory ran first in prime-time among both total viewers (392,639) and 18-to-49-year-olds (131,491). NBC’s inaugural edition of Thursday Night Football -- Panthers vs. Saints -- won the rest of the night. But the numbers were lackluster (218,133 total viewers and 86,592 in the 18-to-49 measurement). The NFL Network’s simulcast drew an average of 123,609 total viewers and 70,556 in the 18-to-49 age range.

Here are the Thursday and Friday local news derby results, with just three weekdays now remaining in the November ratings “sweeps.”

Thursday -- TEGNA8 won a downsized three-way race at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). NBC5’s late edition was delayed past 10:30 p.m. by football.

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and the Peacock did likewise at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. wins went to TEGNA8 in total viewers and NBC5 among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Friday -- CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while NBC5 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds.

NBC5 nipped Fox4 for the most total viewers at 6 a.m. and won by bit comfier margin among 25-to-54-year-olds.

The Peacock likewise ran the table at 6 p.m. and added a 5 p.m. win with 25-to-54-year-olds. Fox4 had the most total viewers at 5 p.m. CBS11’s aforementioned 5 p.m. Cowboys kiss-up ran fourth at 5 p.m. in total viewers and moved up to third (ahead of TEGNA8) in the 25-to-54 age range.

Wednesday’s 8 p.m. episode drew 392,639 D-FW viewers, easily the best showing of any prime-time or otherwise TV attraction. It also was tops with 18-to-49-year-olds, with 166,769 viewers in this key audience demographic.

Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast reaped the lead-in benefits, winning the hour in both total viewers (269,031) and 18-to-49-year-olds (93,006).

At 7 p.m., Fox’s Lethal Weapon won its time slot in total viewers with 305,386. ABC’s competing episode of The Goldbergs rose up to tie Lethal Weapon among 18-to-49-year-olds from 7 to 7:30 p.m. (64,142 viewers apiece) before the second half of LW beat all competing programming.

ABC’s 9 p.m. attraction, Designated Survivor, faded to a fourth place finish with 18-to-49-year-olds while tying for third place in total viewers with CBS’ competing Code Black (138,151 each).

Here are the local news derby results for the 15th weekday of the November “sweeps,” which end on the day before Thanksgiving.

TEGNA8 claimed its first sweeps win at 10 p.m. in total viewers by edging Fox4. But Fox4 easily drew the most 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and NBC5 did likewise at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. golds went to CBS11 in total viewers and NBC5 among 25-to-54-year-olds.

NBC’s 8 p.m. episode of This Is Us ranked as prime-time’s most watched show among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds (109,041) and ranked second in total D-FW viewers (261,720) behind the usual Tuesday night champ, CBS’ 7 p.m. hour of NCIS (334,471).

The Peacock won at 7 p.m. among 18-to-49-year-olds with The Voice while CBS ran first at 9 p.m. in total viewers with NCIS: New Orleans. ABC snuck into the winners’s circle by edging NBC’s Chicago Fire in the 18-to-49 realm at 9 p.m. with David Blaine: Beyond Magic.

Over on TNT, the premiere of Good Behavior, starring Downton Abbey’s Michelle Dockery, had just 29,084 total viewers in the 8 p.m. hour. But more than half of them -- 16,036 -- were 18-to-49-year-olds. A 9 p.m. repeat of Good Behavior had respective totals of 21,813 and 6,414 viewers.

Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results for the 14th weekday of the November “sweeps,” which end on the day before Thanksgiving.

CBS11 drew the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while TEGNA8 was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). This was TEGNA8’s first outright 10 p.m. win in either measurement since the sweeps started on Thursday, Oct. 27th. On Tuesday, Nov. 1st, TEGNA8 and NBC5 tied for the 10 p.m. lead among 25-to-54-year-olds in a downsized three-way race. Fox’s Game 7 World Series overrun rubbed out Fox4’s 10 p.m. edition on that night.

Fox4 had twin wins at 6 a.m. and NBC5 enjoyed 5 and 6 p.m. wins in both ratings measurements.

By ED BARK@unclebarkycom on TwitterD-FW viewers kept it in the Disney-owned family Monday, with ABC’s Dancing with the Stars drawing the most total viewers while ESPN’s Monday Night Football was the most-watched attraction among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds.

By ED BARK@unclebarkycom on TwitterThe Dallas Cowboys’ rousing 35-30 last-second win over the Pittsburgh Steelers also had just enough juice to rank as this season’s overall most-watched game to date.

Capped by Ezekiel Elliott’s 32-yard touchdown run on the Steelers’ home turf, the “America’s Game of the Week” presentation on Fox averaged 1,592,371 D-FW viewers and 641,420 in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old age range.

That inched past the 1,585,100 total viewers for the Cowboys’ Game 6 win at Green Bay on Fox. But among 18-to-49-year-olds, Cowboys-Steelers ranks third on this season’s charts behind two NBC Sunday Night Football match ups -- Game 3 against the Chicago Bears (698,654) and Game 7 versus the Philadelphia Eagles (644,627).

The Cowboys-Steelers game, which made Dallas 8-1 this season, was a ratings behemoth, though, compared to the team’s 35-10 thrashing of the lowly Cleveland Browns in the previous Sunday’s game on Fox. That one, which had a ratings-deflating noon start, averaged 1,163,376 total viewers and 452,201 in the 18-to-49 demographic.

Your friendly content provider was in Europe for both games, and also for Donald Trump’s stunning election to the American presidency over the heavily favored Hillary Clinton. Hey, it was a long-planned trip, so sorry for not tweeting while the returns unfolded throughout some very wee hours on CNN International, which was available in our room while a Viking River Cruise boat made its way down the Rhine.

A look at the D-FW ratings returns shows that Fox News Channel averaged the most total viewers, with a peak crowd of 508,977 between 11:15 and 11:30 p.m.

NBC was the election night runner-up, drawing a high of 487,164 viewers between both 9:45 and 10 p.m. and 10 and 10:15 p.m. CNN came in third, hitting a high of 363,555 viewers between 10:45 and 11 p.m. ABC ran fourth with a peak audience of 312,657 between 10:45 and 11 p.m. Then came the Fox broadcasting network (highs of 290,844 viewers between 9 to 9:15 and 9:15 to 9:30 p.m.) and CBS (a comparatively smallish peak of 196,320 viewers from 10:15 to 10:30 p.m.).

Meanwhile, Fox4, NBC5, TEGNA8 and CBS11 continued to compete during the mid-portion of the November ratings “sweeps,” which end on the day before Thanksgiving.

Here are the chronological weekday local news derby results.

Friday, Nov. 4th -- CBS11 drew the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while also edging NBC5 for the most 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and NBC5 did likewise at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. golds went to NBC5 in total viewers and TEGNA8 among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Monday -- NBC5 ran the table at 10 p.m. and Fox4 added another pair of twin wins at 6 a.m.

TEGNA8 had the most total viewers at 6 p.m. while Fox4 was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds. NBC5’s local news was delayed to 6:30 p.m. by its parent network’s extended election eve edition of the NBC Nightly News. Fox4 had the most total viewers at 5 p.m. and tied NBC5 for the lead with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Tuesday -- The 6 and 10 p.m. local newscasts were mostly rubbed out by network election day coverage.

At 5 p.m., Fox4 and NBC5 tied for the top spot in total viewers while Fox4 won outright with 25-to-54-year-olds. Fox4 also again swept the 6 a.m. races.

Wednesday -- NBC5 won at 10 p.m. in total viewers while Fox4 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds.

The tables were turned at 6 a.m., with Fox4 winning in total viewers and NBC5 among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Fox4 swept the 6 p.m. races, with NBC5 again giving way to NBC’s extended election-themed Nightly News. The Peacock won at 5 p.m. in total viewers, but Fox4 took the 25-to-54 gold.

A long-planned trip abroad -- nice planning, eh? -- will waylay further postings on unclebarky.com until Monday, Nov. 14th. By then we’ll know full well who won -- unless there’s a repeat of 2000 (nooooooo!). Happy election day, and we’ll see you at the other end.Ed Bark

By ED BARK@unclebarkycom on TwitterThursday’s prime-time viewing levels were on the down low after Game 7 of the World Series gave Fox a big high.

CBS’ 7 p.m. episode of The Big Bang Theory as usual led all TV attractions, but with a smallish 356,284 D-FW viewers and 112,249 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old age range. The network’s new The Great Indoors then dipped to 152,693 total viewers, falling behind the second half of ABC’s competing Grey’s Anatomy (174,506). But Great Indoors nipped Grey’s among 18-to-49-year-olds even though it fell to 60,935 viewers in this key demographic.

NBC’s Chicago Med won the 8 p.m. hour in total viewers (181,778) and 18-to-49-year-olds (just 44,899 of ‘em). Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast then mopped up with time slot wins in both ratings measurements -- 167,235 total viewers and 57,728 in the 18-to-49 realm.

CBS’ new medical drama, Pure Genius, ran third at 9 p.m. in total viewers (116,338) and fell to last place among the Big Four broadcast networks in the 18-to-49 demographic (28,864).

Here are Thursday’s local news derby results for the sixth weekday of the November ratings “sweeps.”

NBC5 was tops in total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 dominated the 6 a.m. competitions in both measurements and NBC5 ran the table with comfy twin wins at 5 and 6 p.m.

Bill Murray will take this Groundhog Day over & over & over again. Photo: Ed Bark

By ED BARK@unclebarkycom on Twitter Looking for a ratings grand slam? A drama-drenched, history-rich Game 7 of the World Series will do that for you. And for Fox.

The 8-7 Chicago Cubs’ win over the Cleveland Indians, which went 10 innings and ran until 11:47 p.m. (including a 17-minute late night rain delay), averaged 792,550 DFW viewers and 368,817 in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic. That’s close to twice the total audience for Game 6 and more than double the number of 18-to-49-year-olds.

The Cubs ended a 108-year championship-less drought after blowing a 3-run late inning lead and surviving the bizarro pitching machinations of manager Joe Maddon, who would have been the game’s biggest (Billy) goat had the Indians pulled this one out.

Game 7 faced formidable competition from ABC’s usually potent Country Music Association Awards ceremony, which ran long until 10:21 p.m. and left TEGNA8’s 10 p.m. newscast in the lurch during the ongoing November “sweeps” ratings period. The CMAs still had a nice-sized 370,826 total viewers but a disappointing 105,834 in the 18-to-49 age range.

NBC belatedly opted for wall-to-wall prime-time reruns while CBS substituted a repeat of Criminal Minds at 8 p.m. All were buried.

Here are Wednesday’s local news derby results for the fifth weekday of the November sweeps.

NBC5 won a downsized two-way competition at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. races and NBC5 did likewise at both 5 and 6 p.m. Fox4’s 6 p.m. newscast was rubbed out by a World Series pre-game show.

By ED BARK@unclebarkycom on TwitterThe Chicago Cubs scored early and routed the Cleveland Indians Tuesday night in a Game 6 of the World Series that also scored big for Fox.

Running until 10:40 p.m. and forcing a climactic Game 7, the 9-3 Cubs win averaged 428,995 D-FW viewers and 157,148 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic. A closer game likely would have pushed that average up to a half-million viewers. Wednesday’s finale has a shot at three-quarters of a million or more.

CBS’ 7 p.m. repeat of NCIS scored highest opposite the Series with 283,573 total viewers while NBC’s freshman hit, This Is Us, hung in there with 254,489 viewers in the 8 p.m. hour.

In the 18-to-49 realm, This Is Us was the most-watched show versus the Series with a nice-sized 109,041 viewers.

Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results for the fourth weekday of the November “sweeps” ratings period.

In a downsized 10 p.m. race, CBS11 drew the most total viewers while NBC5 and TEGNA8 tied for the top spot with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

The 6 a.m. golds again were split between Fox4 in total viewers and NBC5 in the 25-to-54 age range.

At 6 p.m., TEGNA8 won in total viewers and shared first place among 25-to-54-year-olds with NBC5. The Peacock ran the table at 5 p.m.

By ED BARK@unclebarkycom on TwitterHalloween night ended up as more treat than trick for ESPN’s Monday Night Football, which ranked as prime-time’s most-watched attraction.

The Chicago Bears’ 20-10 upset of the Minnesota Vikings averaged 276,302 D-FW viewers, with 128,284 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49 age range.

In the Big Four broadcast network universe, NBC’s 7 to 9 p.m. edition of The Voice edged ABC’s Dancing with the Stars in total viewers while winning comfortably among 18-to-49-year-olds. Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast then took over, taking the top spot in both ratings measurements.

Here are Monday’s local news derby results for the third weekday of the November “sweeps” ratings period.

NBC5 drank the blood of its competitors with 10 p.m. wins in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). Afflicted with a low-rated 9 p.m. lead-in from ABC’s All Access Nashville: Celebrating the CMA Awards with Robin Roberts, TEGNA8’s 10 p.m. edition saw a ghost and ran last in both ratings measurements.

Fox4 won at 6 a.m. in total viewers, but NBC5 narrowly ran first among 25-to-54-year-olds.

At both 5 and 6 p.m., NBC5, TEGNA8 and CBS11 all were scaredy cats. The three stations took Halloween holiday exemptions at both hours, meaning those ratings won’t count in the final sweeps averages. This proved to be a mistake on the Peacock’s part, with NBC5 forfeiting dominant wins across the board at 5 and 6 p.m. In all four cases, NBC5’s Halloween ratings were higher than the previous Monday’s.